Chain of Events
by anngraham
Summary: Graham interrupts something he shouldn't have, and sets into motion a chain of events he couldn't have imagined. Prologue to a longer story.


**Disclaimer:** This is a non-profit story, I am in no way shape or form making money off of it. More's the pity. All characters, with the exception of Kris, who I created, belong to those who own, produced, and filmed Swamp Thing.

**Notes:** This story is set somewhere before the episode, In the Beginning, and is eventually going to be part of a much larger story.

**Chain of Events**

Stifling a yawn, Graham shuffled his way off the elevator and into the lab. At 4:00 in the morning the room was as silent as a tomb. *If I can't sleep, I might as well work. Who knows, maybe Arcane will be pleased by my diligence and give me a raise.* Graham paused, thinking, *right, not a chance.*

Shaking his head, Graham couldn't help but feel a tiny bit amused by the thought. Painfully stumbling into something hard, he tripped and fell with a muttered curse.

"What in the hell ...?" Graham swore, scrambling to his feet, and failing to hear the stealthy sound of approaching footsteps. Hitting the light switch he spotted an overturned stool lying directly in the path of the elevator.

"How odd," Frowning he picked up and righted the stool. Looking around Graham noted the state the rest of the lab was in, mouth falling open in shock.

Papers were strewn all over the floor, beakers broken and crushed, and the splinters of glass glinting dully under the subdued lighting. Graham stared at the damage, too surprised to hear the whisper of sound behind him, and before he could react a firm push knocked him to the floor. Falling awkwardly, Graham couldn't restrain a cry of pain from escaping as the broken glass on the floor sliced into his hands, cutting them badly.

Scrambling desperately to his feet Graham made a frantic dive for the intercom. But he was far too late, and far too slow. He didn't even feel the blow that knocked him out.

"Well, that was fun!" A woman's voice purred, "I guess fires aren't the only thing these babies can put out." With a grin, the young woman dropped the small fire extinguisher.

Kneeling down next to Graham she carefully turned him over. "You must be Arcane's assistant, Graham." *This could prove interesting.* "But what am I going to do with you, Graham, I can't just leave you on the floor. Can't kill you ... hmm," The thief's narrowed gaze swept around the lab, spotting the cuffs still hanging on the far wall. *Perfect!* "And why am I somehow not surprised to find Arcane has got chains in his laboratory." She shook her head in amusement.

Effortlessly hauling the unconscious mman upright, she dragged him over to the wall. "Here you go, lover." Holding Graham firmly, she reached for the nearest chain. "This will keep you safe while I go about my evil deeds." Humming quietly she finished strapping the man's hands to the wall, pausing to check that the cuffs were secure.

Surveying her handiwork critically, the young woman was satisfied that Arcane's assistant wouldn't be getting loose on his own. *Too bad about those hands though.* Frowning she dismissed the issue from her mind, * it's not like he's going to bleed to death or anything ... and besides, a little pain never hurt anyone.* Quickly the woman hurried back over to the safe, resuming her former position besides it, before Arcane's assistant had interrupted her. *Here we go again,* cracking her knuckles, she placed her ear next to the dial, listening intently for the soft clicks. After a few seconds the tumblers fell into place and the door swung open. *Oh, I'm good!* Smiling the young woman quickly riffled through the mess of papers inside the safe. *Aha! Gotcha!* triumphantly she hauled out a particular folder, flicking through the contents to make sure it was the right one.

"What ... what's goin' on?" Graham groggily raised his head, wincing at the shooting pain in his temple. His unfocused gaze traveled around the lab, barely able to make out the woman crouched down by Dr. Arcane's safe. Staring, his eyes widened as his vision cleared. The young woman had long black hair pulled back into a ponytail, with two startling blue streaks of hair curling around her face. A pair of dark grey eyes stared up at him calmly as she climbed unhurriedly to her feet. As she approached Graham couldn't help but notice that the woman was so slim it looked like a stiff breeze could knock her down.

"Who are you?" Graham demanded.

"I'm Kris -" Smiling slightly she reached out and tapped him playfully on the nose, "and you ... are Graham."

"I, who ... how?" Graham stumbled over his words, unnerved by the woman's nearness. He tugged vainly at the chains that held him, wincing as he felt, for the first time, the warm sticky blood trickling down his wrists.

"Ah, I see you still have that little problem getting full sentences out." Kris smirked, "Don't worry though, I think it's adorable."

"What are you doing here?" Graham glared at the woman, watching nervously as she once again moved in closer.

Kris leaned in closer, turning her head slightly she whispered in his ear, "Why to steal some very important information from your employer Dr. Arcane." Nipping Graham's earlobe in farewell, she smiled at the small sound of discomfort that the man made. "You're just a fringe benefit."

Graham stared at the woman in shock, his ear stinging from the bite. "Are you crazy?"

"Wow, two full sentences without a stutter. I'm impressed!" She couldn't resist teasing the man, something about Arcane's assistant was refreshingly different than the people she usually dealt with. "It must be me."

"Listen, you...you..."

"Now, now, Graham," she interrupted, shaking her head, "It's not polite to call a lady a bad name. Although granted I'm not much of a lady, but still. It's the principle that counts."

"You won't get away. You'll be caught," Graham glared at the woman, again tugging on the chains that bound him, doing his best to ignore the pain it sent through his lacerated palms.

"You are so naive, Graham." Kris laughed at him, patting him gently on the cheek, "But you're cute, so I'll excuse it. And I'm not worried about Arcane. I am very good at my job, Graham."

"You should be. You don't know what happens to people who, ah, who steal from the Doctor." Graham informed the woman, looking into her eyes. This turned out to be a mistake. He could feel himself blush, hoping it wasn't noticeable as he dropped his gaze from hers.

"Don't worry about me, lover. I'll be fine." Tilting her head to the side, she absently cracked her neck. "But I really should go now. No sense in tempting fate after all. First though, a little parting gift." Leaning in she brushed her lips across Graham's. "Like?"

"I..I.." Graham took a deep breath.

"I guess you did," Trailing her fingers down Graham's chest, she looked up coyly. "And now I'll leave a little something for Arcane to know I was here."

"What ...?" Graham broke off with a gasp, shocked as Kris leaned in and bit him on the neck, sucking hard. "There, that should leave a mark" She smiled at Graham's furious expression, "And Arcane will know you've been a very naughty boy, Graham," Kris smirked as Arcane's assistant glared even harder. "Maybe you'll get lucky and he'll kiss it better."

"You're insane!" Graham glowered at the woman in both anger and confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"No clue, eh?" *Hmm, guess I was wrong about the good doctor. I could have sworn that he was sleeping with Graham. Oh well,* shrugging she patted Graham gently on the cheek. "Don't worry about it, pet. Maybe one of these days you'll find out." Abruptly turning away she retrieved the folder from a desk, "Well, I have to go now." Stepping into the waiting elevator, she waved cheerfully at Graham. "Catch ya later, pet." The doors hissed closed on Graham's shout -

- "You can't leave me ..." Kris sank against the wall in laughter, hugging the file to her. *Man, I wish could be there to see Arcane's face when he sees his precious assistant chained to the wall of the lab. Sighing she shook her head at the thought, *ah, well, I can't have everything.*

Getting out of the Complex was almost as easy as getting in. Minutes later she was climbing into her black mustang, tires squealing as she peeled out. Red taillights disappeared around the bend and the night once again settling into stillness.

Arcane suppressed a yawn, stretching tiredly as he waited for the elevator to take him to the lab. Stepping out his foot immediately crunched on some broken glass, splintering it into a fine dust.

"Kris, you do great work." Arcane surveyed the mess his lab was in with a pleased expression. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Graham, ... *chained to the wall!* "Graham?" Striding over to the man he could see that Graham was indeed chained to the wall, and fast asleep as well. *Just terrific,* Arcane sighed. *Graham, you're extremely lucky that you didn't ruin my plans.*

Reaching out he roughly shook Graham awake. "Wake up, Graham."

Graham's eyes wearily slid open, staring tiredly up at Arcane, "Dr. Arcane?" he shook his head, trying to clear away the cobwebs. There was something important he needed to tell ... "Quick! Someone broke in. She ... she stole something from ..."

"Yes, Graham. I know." Arcane spotted the keys for the cuffs over on the table. He reached over and retrieved them. "I hired her."

"What?" Graham gasped, mouth dropping in shock, "You hired her?"

"Yes," Arcane reached up and released the restraints, wincing slightly at the nasty looking cuts on his assistant's hands.

Graham gratefully lowered his arms, feeling pins and needles as the blood flowed back into his numbed arms. Arcane silently led him over to a stool, gesturing for him to sit him down. "Stay there!" he ordered, moving away to retrieve the first aid kit.

"Hands." Graham obediently held out his hands, quietly watching as Dr. Arcane cleaned and bandaged his cuts. He shivered as the Doctor's fingers brushed against his wrists.

"Why, er, why, did you hire her?" Graham asked after Arcane had finished with his hands, forcing himself to sound alert.

"To steal something from me, of course. Why else would I hire a thief, Graham? How did you happen to get chained to the wall?" Arcane quickly changed the subject, eager to get off the topic of his reasoning.

"I ... I came down late last night to, ah, to do some work," Graham glanced up at Arcane, puzzled by the abrupt subject change. He couldn't help but feel a flash of hurt at being left out of the loop. "I didn't see Kris until too late. She ... she knocked me out and then chained me to the wall."

"She introduced herself!" Arcane's eyebrows raised in surprise, rising even further as for the first time he spotted the mark on Graham's neck. Reaching over he tilted his assistant's head to the side to get a better look. "Appears as though that's not all she did now, is it Graham." Letting his fingers slid away Arcane smirked at the man's look of extreme discomfort.

"Umm, Sir," Graham began tentatively, pushing the embarrassment out of his mind, "Why, er, did you want something stole."

"Kris appropriated a certain document of mine to give to one of my more pro-active rivals. This man believes Kris to be working exclusively for him, when in fact the young lady in question had accepted my rather generous employment offer. The information he gets his hands on is what I want him to see." Arcane crossed his arms, "It allows him to believe he's stealing important research from me, which stops him from coming after what he wants more directly. The fake information I'm feeding him will also send him down the wrong research path for months to come."

"I ... I understand." Graham blinked away the almost mesmerizing influence Arcane's soft accented voice had on his exhausted mind.

Arcane walked behind Graham as an idea occurred to him. Laying his hands on the man's shoulders he was careful to sound simply thoughtful and not like he was giving an order. "You know, Graham, I don't think you've had a vacation in the two years you've been working for me. If last night's incident is anything to go by, it's time you had one."

"You want me to take a vacation?" Graham repeated in surprise.

"Yes," Arcane dug his fingers into the man's tense muscles, observing the trusting way Graham tilted his head forward. For a second he lost his train of thought as an unexpected bolt of heat shot through him. Shaking his head silently, he refocused his thoughts and continued, "Some, ah, rest and relaxation in sunny, beautiful Hawaii, Graham. Just what the Doctor ordered."

"I ... I'd like that," Graham held back his suspicion. *If Dr. Arcane wants me to take a vacation to Hawaii, whatever the reason, I'm not objecting.*

"Jolly good!" Arcane released Graham, "You go pack and I'll make the reservations."

"So soon?" Graham asked, climbing off the stool and swaying for a second before regained his balance.

"Well, why put off tomorrow what can be done today, Graham. There are no major projects in the works right now, the timing couldn't be better. Come on, now." Arcane ushered his assistant towards the elevator. "Go! Take a shower, get dressed and pack. I'll take care of all the other details."

"Alright, Sir." Graham shrugged, puzzled but willing, "I'm going." He stepped in and hit the up button.

"Good," Arcane waited for the doors to close, "Sorry Graham, but I can't have you messing up this scheme up for me." *As you seem to have a knack for.* Hummed a happy tune, Arcane stepped over the mess, picking the telephone up from under a pile of papers. *I love when things go my way.*

"Hello, this is Anton Arcane. I'd like to book a flight for one to Hawaii."


End file.
